Rushing In: A Small Town Family Romance

by Claire Kingsley

  “Ignore it.” She grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me down.

  I was happy to do just that, but then her phone buzzed on the bedside table.

  She let out a frustrated breath. “Seriously?”

  I pushed myself back to sitting and rubbed my hands up and down my thighs while she sat up and grabbed her phone. Now that we’d stopped, I was thinking, and starting to wonder if I should let this happen. Again.

  Fuck, this was hard.

  “Oh my god.” She stared at her still buzzing phone like it was a bloody murder weapon.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She got up and rushed to the window. “What the hell?”

  Without another word, she raced out the door. I stood, fumbling for my crutches, as her footsteps flew down the stairs.

  My inner alarm blared a warning. Something was wrong.

  I followed her down, but paused a few steps from the bottom. She stood with the door open and I could just make out a guy outside. He had slicked back blond hair and wore a wool coat over a button-down shirt and slacks.

  I didn’t know who he was, but I instantly didn’t like him. He had a douchey face and it was a fucking weekend, what was with the fancy-pants outfit?

  He handed Skylar a large envelope.

  “You could have just FedEx’d this,” she said, taking it from him.

  “I know, but I was nearby, so I figured I’d drop it off.”

  “You were nearby?”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “I am worried about it, Cullen. You live almost four hours away. Why are you here?”

  “We rented a cabin for a long weekend. It’s a vacation. Maybe you’ve heard of them.”

  “Okay, whatever.” She held up the envelope. “What signature do you need? Is this the foreign rights contract we were waiting for?”

  “No, that’s the agency dissolution paperwork.”

  She let out a long breath. “Right. Fine. I’ll sign it. But what happened to the foreign rights deal?”

  “They passed on it.”

  “What do you mean, they passed?”

  “They passed. There was a deadline and they didn’t have an answer, so they moved on to someone else.”

  Skylar gaped at him. “You were supposed to take care of that.”

  “I’m not your agent anymore.”

  “But you started that deal. I figured you’d at least finish it.”

  “I’ve had too many other things going on to worry about one little foreign rights deal for a former client.”

  “You asshole.” She whipped around and stomped into the kitchen, coming back a few seconds later with a pen. She tore the envelope open, smacked the paperwork down on her mom’s coffee table, and furiously signed her name. Then she brought it back to the front door and flung it at him. The pieces of paper fluttered to the floor. “There. Happy now?”

  “Really, Skylar? Very mature.”

  “Get out.”

  I wanted nothing more than to go down there and punch the guy in the face. But before I could make it to the bottom of the stairs, he swiped the contract off the floor and left.

  Skylar slammed the door behind him.

  I hesitated at the bottom of the stairs while she sniffed hard and swiped her fingers beneath her eyes. I didn’t quite understand what had just happened, but clearly it had pissed her off.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  She sniffed again. “Yes. No. I don’t know.”

  “Who was that?”

  “Cullen, my agent.” She sighed. “Also my ex-boyfriend.”

  Oh shit.

  She went to the couch and sank down, so I crutched my way in and sat beside her.

  “Obviously dating my literary agent was not my smartest move.”

  “That was the guy you were with before you moved here?”

  “Yeah. He dumped me for another one of his clients, an author named Pepper Sinclair.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Unfortunately. That’s not even the worst of it, though. By the time he told me, he’d been cheating on me with her for months. And she was married, so she was cheating too.”

  I clenched my hands into fists. Now I really wanted to fucking punch that guy. “What the fuck?”

  “He said I should have seen it coming, but I didn’t. I was totally blindsided.”

  “That’s just a shitty way of trying to blame you.”

  She took a shaky breath and tears ran down her cheeks. “See, I know that, and it makes sense. But I thought… I thought he was it, and we were fine, and maybe we were going to…”

  “You thought you were going to marry him.”

  “I feel so stupid.”

  “No.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and drew her close. “You’re not stupid. He’s the dumb motherfucker who cheated on you.”

  I held her against me for a long moment, wishing I could do something more to make her feel better.

  She sat up and swiped beneath her eyes again. “Sorry. I hate crying in front of people.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “I’m just so frustrated. I didn’t think seeing him again would be that bad. And I was counting on the advance from that foreign rights deal. I can’t believe he just blew it off like that.”

  “I’d really like to hurt him.”

  She laughed a little. “Me too.”

  I rubbed her back, not sure what I should do next. It felt like we’d been doused by cold water—and not the jumping in an icy river kind that was actually fun.

  “Sorry you had to see all that,” she said.

  “It’s okay. Do you want to…” I trailed off. I couldn’t exactly suggest we go upstairs and bang before her parents got home. And the feeling that maybe that interruption had been a good thing kept growing. Not that I wanted her to be upset, but if that shithead hadn’t showed up, we’d have been having sex again.

  Which, I wanted.

  But shouldn’t.

  Fuck, this was a mess.

  “Honestly, I think I just need to be alone for a little while,” she said. “I just…”

  I knew what she was trying to say. She was thinking the same thing I was. We’d been about to have sex, and if I stayed we probably would. And we probably shouldn’t. “It’s okay. You don’t have to explain.”

  “Thanks. It’s not you, Gavin, I—”

  “I know.” I leaned close and kissed her temple. “Text me if you need anything.”

  “I will. Thank you. And I’m sorry.”

  I gathered up my crutches and stood. “Don’t be. I’ll see you later.”

  Walking out her door, it felt like I was leaving a piece of myself behind. It was the weirdest feeling. I hated leaving her, but at the same time, I knew it was the right thing to do. I couldn’t fix this for her. In fact, if I stuck around, I’d probably just make things worse. More confusing.

  Because fuck, I was confused. She sure as hell had to be.

  I drove home in a haze, barely aware of where I was going. I kept thinking about Skylar. About what it had felt like to kiss her. Be inside her. How she wasn’t just some girl. I couldn’t chase her and let things play out, for better or worse. Have some fun and not worry about what would happen down the road.

  There were consequences down that road. Big ones.

  I tried to imagine having that conversation with Chief. That something had gone wrong and whatever had been going on between me and Sky was over. I knew what Chief thought of me. A good firefighter, maybe, but other than that, I was just a crazy kid.

  Definitely not good enough for his daughter.

  Chief was the closest thing I’d ever had to a father. I didn’t want to make him have to say that to my face.

  But maybe it wasn’t too late to rewind things with her. Sure, we’d made out and things had gotten pretty out of control last night. But we’d been friends first. We could go back to that. It’s not like we’d been officially dating or anything. I’d just explain to her that we n
eeded to stay friends. She was just getting out of a relationship anyway.

  She’d have to understand.

  23

  Skylar

  Gazing out the window of the Steaming Mug, I wrapped my hands around my coffee cup, enjoying the warmth that seeped into my skin. The sky outside was pale blue, a hue that hinted at the chill in the fall air, and the mountainsides had gone from green to a patchwork of reds, oranges, and golds.

  Little pumpkins decorated the tables in the coffee shop. I wondered what Halloween in Tilikum was like. It was my favorite holiday. Something about it being creepy but still safe appealed to me.

  Gavin had asked me to meet him here, but I’d come a little early. My head was still a mess after seeing Cullen yesterday. He was such a jerk. How could he have just dropped the ball on that foreign rights contract? The least he could have done was tell me he wasn’t going to see it through. And what was with showing up at my dad’s house like that, just to get a signature? He’d said they had rented a cabin, which of course meant he’d been enjoying a romantic weekend getaway with stupid Pepper Sinclair. Apparently he’d wanted to rub that in my face, the asshole.

  I wasn’t just upset because I’d been through a breakup, or because he’d tossed me aside like I’d never meant anything to him, personally or professionally. I was upset at myself for ever thinking he could be the one. How had I not seen who he really was? His behavior since he’d dumped me seemed so shockingly horrible, but then again, was it really so surprising?

  Looking back, what I’d taken for seriousness and stoicism were mostly him being a jerk. He’d belittled me for being overly sensitive, dismissing my anxiety as an annoying weakness. Even something I was making up. He’d called me dramatic and unreasonable. Told me to just get over it.

  I knew I was an anxious, and often hypersensitive person. I did my best to manage the way my anxiety made me feel so it didn’t hold me back too much. Was it really so bad if background noises sometimes bothered me, or I got nervous around people I didn’t know? Was I really that high maintenance?

  Cullen had thought so. He’d thought I was so fragile, he’d cheated on me for months rather than tell me the truth.

  I let out a long breath. Like my mom had said, at least I hadn’t married him. That would have been a disaster.

  It made me wonder if Mom saw her marriage to Dad as a disaster. It was hard to say. I wasn’t even sure what had actually happened between them all those years ago.

  Last night, I’d escaped into the comfort of one of my favorite books. I’d read it several times over the years, and reading it again was like visiting an old friend. Comfortable and relaxing. Because I knew what would happen, I didn’t feel any stress as I read. It had felt good to shut out the world for a little while and live in another one—a world where I knew how the story ended.

  I hoped Gavin had understood why I’d needed to be alone. It had seemed like he did. Cullen had showed up like an earthquake, shaking my foundation out of nowhere. I’d needed some time to process. To let all that adrenaline work its way through my system.

  Although Cullen hadn’t been the only reason I’d been amped up yesterday.

  Gavin probably thought I’d invited him over for sex. Despite the way I’d basically attacked him as soon as he’d sat on my bed, I hadn’t meant to. I’d honestly asked him to come over so I could write. But once I’d shut my bedroom door, I’d been flooded with lust. A repeat of that potent desire I’d felt for him the other night.

  What was I doing?

  Sleeping with a guy I wasn’t really dating was very out of character for me. But something about Gavin seemed to do that to me. He brought out a side of me I’d never known was there.

  And I liked it.

  The shop door opened and Gavin came in, dressed in a dark jacket and jeans. His hair was adorably unkempt, his sexiness so effortless. My heart skipped and I nervously tucked my hair behind my ear.

  His crutches were gone. He wore a boot on his left leg and he was actually walking.

  “Look at you,” I said as he came over to my table. “No more crutches.”

  His lips pressed together in a subdued smile, not quite wide enough to pucker his dimples. “Yeah, I had a follow-up with my doctor this morning. I have to wear this thing for a couple more weeks, but it’s better than the cast.”

  “That’s great news.”

  He sat across from me and a heightened sense of anxiousness pinged through my nervous system. The hiss of milk being steamed suddenly pushed against my ears, like it had weight. I crossed my legs and fiddled with a strand of hair.

  “Yep. Pretty soon I’ll be good as new.”

  “Will you go back to work on light duty now?”

  He nodded and there was something off about him. He wasn’t quite making eye contact.

  Or maybe it was all in my head and I was just being overly sensitive.

  “Do you want to order coffee or anything?” I asked.

  “You know, I’m feeling pretty restless. Would you mind going for a walk?”

  “Not at all. I’m sure it’s nice to be on both feet again.”

  “Yeah, exactly.”

  I gathered up my things and put on my coat. Gavin held the door for me, then stuck his hands in his pockets while we walked side by side. His gait was a bit lopsided, like the boot made walking awkward, and it felt odd not to hear the click of his crutches.

  He didn’t say anything as we made our way up the sidewalk. A chilly breeze blew through my hair, making a strand stick to my lip gloss. I brushed it off my face, a buzz of worry zinging through me.

  Was something wrong?

  Or was I just being paranoid?

  The silence felt as heavy as the hiss of the milk steamer in the coffee shop, and before I could stop myself, I started babbling. “Did you know a person can survive a stab wound to the gut for up to three days? That’s if they don’t get medical treatment, of course. It’s widely considered one of the worst ways to die.”

  “Wow, really?”

  “Sorry. I was just doing some research this morning and that popped into my head.”

  “Does someone in your book get stabbed in the gut?”

  “Yeah, although it doesn’t happen on the page. Their body is found later.”

  I let out a breath, annoyed with myself. Why was I talking about stab wounds and dead bodies?

  Why was I so anxious?

  A pair of squirrels darted in front of us. It looked like one of them was carrying a candy wrapper. Or maybe it was an actual candy bar. We paused while they scampered away, running across the street.

  I expected Gavin to comment on them. Everyone in town seemed to think the squirrels were little thieves, and that one had been carrying something. He didn’t find that amusing?

  But he stayed quiet.

  We walked across the street and into Lumberjack Park. Leaves littered the ground, crunching beneath our feet. The tension was killing me. Why weren’t we talking? I hated being the one to start a conversation—the random morbid fact I’d spewed out a minute ago being a primary reason why—but I couldn’t take it anymore.

  But before I could say a word, Gavin stopped and turned so he was standing in front of me, his hands still in his coat pockets. “I think maybe we should talk.”

  A sick feeling spread from the pit of my stomach. It was almost an echo of how Cullen had started the conversation when he’d broken up with me.

  “Okay.”

  “I really like you. But…” He hesitated, glancing down at his feet. “I think maybe things got a little out of control.”

  I swallowed hard, not sure what to say. I could tell he wasn’t done, so I waited for him to continue.

  “Hanging out with you is awesome and if you need me to come over while you write, I can totally do that. But the other stuff…” He paused again and he still wasn’t looking me in the eyes. “It’s not that it wasn’t good. It was. I just don’t think it’s the best idea. You’ve been through a lot recently, and
I’m not really boyfriend material. I’m pretty good at a lot of things, but that isn’t one of them.”

  My legs felt shaky and the sound of a car driving by crawled up my spine and settled there, making my neck knot with tension.

  “So you’re saying we shouldn’t have slept together.”

  It took him a second to answer. “I’m saying we shouldn’t do it again.”

  I didn’t understand the fierce sadness that swept through me. Gavin wasn’t breaking up with me. We weren’t in a relationship in the first place—not like that. But somehow this felt worse than the moment Cullen had told me it was over.

  Tucking my hair behind my ear again, I took a quick breath. I didn’t want him to see how much this was crushing me. Because it didn’t make sense. We were just friends. Why was this such a big deal?

  “I guess if that’s how you feel…”

  “I don’t want to hurt you—”

  “No,” I said, cutting him off. “You’re not.”

  Wow, was I a liar.

  He took a step closer. “Skylar, I know I crossed a line with you, and I’m sorry.”

  Hearing him call me Skylar made my eyes flood with tears. I looked down so he wouldn’t see. “It’s fine. I need to worry about the book I’m writing and finding an agent and getting a publisher. The last thing I need is to be rushing into something.”

  “Yeah,” he said, his voice tentative, like he wasn’t sure if he believed me.

  That made two of us.

  Suddenly the rustle of leaves was crackling too loudly in my ears. I felt like I was going to crawl out of my own skin.

  “Speaking of all that, I have a lot to do,” I said. “I should get home.”

  “Are you sure? I can walk you back to your car.”

  “No thanks.”

  I couldn’t stay or I was going to lose it and burst into tears. I couldn’t let myself do that. Not out here in the open. I managed to mumble a goodbye as I turned and started to walk away.

  “Bye, Skylar.”

  With tears blurring my vision, I left him standing behind me.

  He’d called me Skylar. Not Sky. Twice. And I had no idea why that hurt so much.

  24